The Beaut Beads Wax

For me, nothing beats the hands-on experience you get from applying a paste wax to a car you truly love. The “romance” behind this was why I have personally longed to have one in our range. But creating an exceptional paste wax we’d be proud to put our name to has turned into the single longest and most expensive project of our 20+ year history. We actually created one way back in 2008, with our chemist “Beaker” blending one specific wax we all loved, but sadly the project had to be shelved when we realised we wouldn’t have the space or equipment required to manufacture it correctly… quite simply it wasn’t something we could afford to do. This one solitary jar of wax was put away in our cabinet, only to be pulled out for a few special occasions with my own cars.

Over the next decade we revisited paste waxes a couple of times, but just couldn't make it happen - until a few years back we finally found ourselves in a position to breathe life back into the project and give it the attention it deserved. It’s definitely a case of better late than never, and after teasing you with a mini-me jar last year, we’re so proud to finally bring you guys the full-size “Big Gob” jar of Beaut Beads – 250mL of pure wax joy for car fanatics.

 

A WAX WORTH THE WAIT
This has undoubtedly been one of our most anticipated products in recent history, but as they say, good things come to those that wait. This paste wax has been a pet project of ours for over a decade and it definitely turned into a real labour of love…that we affectionately dubbed the “Mad Wax” project.

We put our heart and soul into this project, with a single-minded dedication to ensuring that if we brought out a paste wax, it had to address many of the issues often encountered with traditional waxes, whilst excelling in all the areas top quality paste waxes are famous for. So we took it to the next level and hired a bright young chemist whose sole focus was developing this wax, and after 2 years of tormenting her with 57 versions, the result is a blend of new and traditional technology that gives fantastic results and is an absolute joy to use.

 

WHAT MAKES IT BEAUT?
We’ve pulled out all the stops with this wax, using only the finest wanky ingredients - the combination of 55% (by wax volume) T1 Carnauba, as well as Montan, local Beeswax and other cosmetic grade waxes, gives an amazing shine, depth and reflections, whilst being absolutely joyous to use. We’ve also gone to great efforts to ensure using Beaut Beads requires as little effort as possible, and we’re proud to say no hard yakka is required to apply or remove it. Here’s a few of the things we love about Beaut Beads:

• Gives metallics and vibrant colours a lustrous glow, that’ll leave you knocked for six.
• Spectacular super hydrophobic protection for months of epic bead porn & sheeting.
• Won’t re-haze after buffing off, ideal for humid Australian conditions.
• For all types of shiny paints, including older single stage and modern clear coats. The only surfaces we don’t recommend this for are matte finishes and professionally applied ceramic coatings (more on that later).
• Can be maintained with our super hydrophobic spray sealants, like Bead Machine.
• A luscious fragrance that brings back memories of fun trips to the drive-in movies.
• Includes two premium quality foam applicators – bigger for larger panels and smaller for more intricate areas.
• “Big Gob” 250mL jar will do around 15+ wax applications on mid to large sized vehicles.
• No harsh chemicals like Fluorine or abrasives – only the finest raw ingredients that are safe for you and the environment.
• Proudly handcrafted in Australia – even the quality presentation box and jar are Aussie made.

 

A WAX THAT'S JOYOUS TO USE
An easy on and very easy to buff off experience was paramount when developing Beaut Beads, as a hard to use paste wax can be a brutal experience, especially when compared to the easy-to-use spray sealants available today. Difficult removal alone can be enough to totally turn anyone off wanting to use a wax ever again. This particular wax has a soft buttery composition that spreads a looooong way (it only needs a super-thin coating) and is the easiest to remove of any of the high-end waxes we’ve used in recent times, for us it's a pure joy.

 

AMAZING DEPTH, SHINE AND THAT CARNAUBA WAX GLOW
Nothing looks quite like a quality Carnauba wax does on a car. With Beaut Beads we’ve creatively blended the much-loved T1 grade Brazilian Carnauba wax (55% of overall wax volume) with other cosmetic grade waxes including local Beeswax and the lesser-known Montan wax, to help get what we feel is a truly amazing finish. This combination leaves that glowing wax look on vibrant, bright colours, with a remarkable depth added to metallic paints that feels like you could almost swim in them!

 

FOR ANY PAINT TYPE, BOTH OLD AND NEW
Waxes are great all-rounders, as they're more forgiving at sealing all types of paints, both old and new. It’s something synthetic sealants can struggle with, as they prefer a better condition or newer base to get the super smooth surface needed to create a lotus leaf beading effect. A paste wax on the other hand can cover and better create this perfect surface, thanks to its more robust composition.

About the only two surfaces we don’t recommend Beaut Beads for are matte finishes (as this wax promotes shiny), or a professionally ceramic coated surface, as the solvents used in paste waxes are able to subtly affect/soften this hard layer when rubbed onto the ceramic coating's surface. Stick to water-based super hydrophobic sealants (Bead Machine, Wet Dreams and Happy Ending) for maintaining ceramic coatings and you'll never have an issue.

 

SUPER HYDROPHOBIC BEADING AND SHEETING - NOT "CERAMIC"
We gave this wax the name Beaut Beads for a reason - the water beading (AKA Bead Porn) and repellency/activity from this wax blend is pretty damn awesome. In fact, it’s one of the single (if not the most) hydrophobic products in our range, and sheets water as well as it beads too!  Like our other super hydrophobic products, we’re not marketing this as a "ceramic" wax, even though it may share many of the attributes of products others would call ceramic. We feel the "ceramic" name has been hijacked by marketing teams, all using the name ceramic on products that don’t even come close to fitting the definition of "ceramic". Ask any scientist or chemist working in the fascinating and rapidly evolving field of ceramic coatings, and they’ll tell you that any true ceramic product uses a complex, expensive type of chemistry that generally involves the chemical family of polysilizanes, which cannot be blended easily unless they have a heavy petroleum solvent base. These are the type of products touted and used by many professional detailers, involving a more time intensive procedure to apply and are far from forgiving if the application process is even slightly incorrect.

We feel there's enough confusion in car care and we don't wish to add to it with claims of something being "ceramic" when we don't feel it’s true. "Works so well you won't believe it's not ceramic" is the best tongue in cheek way we can describe this and our other super hydrophobic products.

NO HARSH CHEMICALS - FLUORINE 

We don't use fluorine in this wax. This has become a popular additive found in many paste waxes that dramatically increases the hydrophobic beading and longevity, which sounds fantastic until you look deeper and see it's a pretty toxic chemical group - with long term effects on humans, being "forever chemicals" as they don't break down in the environment and readily enter the local food chain, then us.... The C8 branch of fluorines (PFOS, PFOA) that performs the best is the most toxic and consequently they have been banned in the EU with many other western countries slowly following suit as it's on its way to a global phase-out, however here in Australia the AICIS (our chemical regulatory board) has not banned them yet, or products that use them, more so recommending that; " PFOS, PFOA and other related chemicals should continue to be restricted to essential uses where less hazardous alternatives are not available". Likewise, they are still readily available throughout Asia and are still used in many products made there.

There have been many recent in-depth scientific articles on this thanks to the International Ski Federation banning the use of it in ski waxes, but even still, lots of other wax manufacturers sadly continue to use this grouping of ingredients, showing I feel a lack in the duty of care for their users or local environment. Our chemist didn’t feel any need, let alone wished to be handling it in our factory, so it's not in there. Beaut Beads uses the finest natural raw materials in its blend, which are both environmentally friendly and safe for you to use. 

SCARED OF GHOSTS AND SWEATING?
Many enthusiasts who have used a paste wax in humid areas know the frustration of "ghosting" - a light haze that returns after buffing the wax off, meaning you have to buff the car down once more. Most waxes will do this (some numerous times over and over), and it’s enough of an issue that it’s turned many professional detailers and devoted fanatics away from paste waxes. We worked hard on this, doing our very best to formulate it out. It took a LOT of time to work out why it was doing it and living in our sub-tropical humid environment paid off, with months of summer testing enabling us to find a near-perfect solution to this complex issue. We had this wax blend tested independently in Darwin, far north Qld, even Indonesia and Japan (all areas renowned for their high humidity) and gained the tick of approval from some very sceptical fanatics. As far as we're aware, it’s the only paste wax to date that has tried to tackle this complex issue. The other issue is a smaller one, but one we still disliked, where the wax "sweats" out its oils and solvents to the waxes surface when stored (a bit like some peanut butters do). Again, we worked out why this was happening and formulated it out.

 

BEAUTIFULLY PROTECTIVE
Waxes are more organic in their nature, so tend to break down faster than synthetic products, so we included some of the latest technologically advanced ingredients to help extend the wax's protection, which also includes a healthy dose of the latest UV absorbers.

We test durability in a few different ways, including on numerous test panels that sit out in the sun and elements each day (washed weekly), or with the more popular real-world tests on our team's daily driven cars. We also had a few pro detailers and enthusiasts nationwide use it and give us their feedback as well. The end result of this testing, is that when it’s washed/maintained with our pH neutral washes/Snow Job foam, we've found Beaut Beads lasts between 2 to 5 months by itself and 4 to 6+ months when Bead Machine is applied on top (more on this below). This time frame becomes a lot longer when maintained with Wet Dreams or Happy Ending every two months after a wash, as we would on a daily driver. 

I've personally been using/testing/developing this wax on two of my own classics (the Sandman van and Falcon Sprint) and some of the collection's cars (Black 911RS, 300SL Gullwing) over the last two years and found this wax lasted over 1 year - and still going - on these well pampered beasts. This is without the use of Bead Machine on top, and it's something I'm personally pretty impressed with.

 

PLAYS WELL WITH SUPER HYDROPHOBIC SEALANTS
In our numerous in-depth tests, we found when you have products that use similar base ingredients, they work better together. This is the case with our super hydrophobic sealant Bead Machine, which can be layered over Beaut Beads to further boost its durability. This is due to it being able to bond to the wax's surface, thanks to using a similar family of polymers that are unique to these two products. Likewise, you can use both our Wet Dreams spray sealant or Happy Ending finishing foam for quick and easy maintenance/top-ups on your daily driver if you so desire.

 

PROUDLY AUSTRALIAN MADE AND HANDCRAFTED IN OUR SHED
Rather than being mass-produced and churned out by a factory, Beaut Beads is lovingly hand-blended and poured by a dedicated team in a specially constructed section of the shed. The process is a real artform and each small batch pour takes a full day, with our team of “waxperts” taking a couple of years of trial and error to perfect the process. It’s very labour intensive, but we love this more hands-on, low volume, boutique-quality blending process - it makes this wax a little bit more special than the mass-produced waxes you’ll see it sharing the shelves with.

We love supporting locals, so we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure Beaut Beads is as Aussie made as possible - searching far and wide for a wax-worthy company to custom make our large mouth jar and lid, a hugely expensive exercise, but the end result is such greater quality that we're pretty sure these beautiful jars will last a lifetime (yes, the possibility of doing refills has been discussed for down the track). Another massive job was getting the high quality presentation box made here, as everything we had seen was all made in Asia. This was a surprisingly tricky challenge, but we helped give a local packaging company the confidence to do this for us. But we have to be up-front, despite our best efforts we simply couldn’t find any local manufacturers for the foam applicators (another industry that has sadly long left Australia) and have gone with a top-quality German foam option instead.

 

BEAUT TIPS TO GET THE BEST FINISH
Beaut Beads is super-simple to use, but as always we had to pull together a few tips to help you get the best results possible, check out the full guide here.

 

GETTING YOUR BEAUT BEADS
You guys have been amazingly patient waiting for this one to come out and we really appreciate it, it’s definitely long overdue but we think the wait has been worth it. Whilst we know boutique paste waxes like this aren't for everyone, fanatics who appreciate such an enjoyable and hassle free experience will love Beaut Beads as much as we do and understand the $159.99 price - although resellers are running some cracking introductory deals. Keep an eye out for the funky looking white and orange box at your local Supercheap Auto, Repco and autObarn store, or ask them to order it in for you (the product code is BOBBW)… it’s definitely worth the effort. 

If you're keen to pick up Beaut Beads, we recommend going through your local auto parts store as they'll have some great introductory deals, but it's also available on our website here.

We hope you can feel the passion that went into developing Beaut Beads every time you use it, and love using it as much as we did creating it.